EVANS PITCHES DRUG TESTING FOR COUNCIL

To combat recent rumors that he might have relapsed into drug abuse,
Fayetteville City Councilman Charles Evans said he has taken a drug
test that proves he is clean.

And he wants everyone else on the council to voluntarily take one,
too. "I hate to bring this up, but I'm so sick of it," he said. "It's
not fair." Evans, who was first elected in 2005, is a recovering drug
addict and alcoholic. He pleaded guilty in 1992 to two counts of
embezzlement and one count of felony possession of cocaine. He says he
has been clean since 2001. Evans wants the City Council to discuss his
idea at its Jan. 7 work session. Evans said he didn't know who started
the rumors about a month ago, or whether they were politically
motivated. He likened the idea of drug-testing the council to the city
policy of making new employees take a urine test for drugs. "We are no
better than city employees," he said.

No law requires elected officials to submit to a drug test as
condition for holding office.

Although some other council members said Thursday they personally had
no problem taking a drug test, they believed doing so would be
inappropriate for the council.

"If he has a problem in trying to clear his name or character, he
doesn't need to drag anybody else into it," Councilman Keith Bates
said. Councilwoman Val Applewhite agreed.

"This is another distraction for us, and I would much rather we focus
on the issues that the mayor has outlined in Fayetteville Forward,"
she said. Fayetteville Forward is a 100-day action plan consisting of
various programs and initiatives that Mayor Tony Chavonne asked the
council to endorse when it was sworn in Dec.3.

Evans' past is well-known in the east Fayetteville community that he
represents, and he talks openly about it among his constituents. He is
48. Last week, Evans went to U.S. HealthWorks on Owen Drive for a
urine sample. The results came back negative for drugs. He provided a
copy to The Fayetteville Observer.

On Thursday, Evans sent an e-mail to City Manager Dale Iman and some
council members requesting to raise the issue Jan. 7.

Each council member has five minutes at the work session to pitch any
idea. If he gets enough votes at that meeting, the council or staff
will move forward on the idea.

"This is going to be interesting, to say this least," Councilman D.J.
Haire said. "I would love to hear the dialogue on this one." Chavonne
said he was saddened that Evans has to combat the rumors about drug
abuse. "I think we are all aware that he has had issues in the past,"
Chavonne said. "I'm not aware of any issue that he has this time." But
this is not an issue for the council, the mayor said. "This is a
personal issue, and it's one that needs to be addressed by Mr. Evans,"
he said.

Meredith thinks a drug test is unneeded. "I would hope that members of
council are responsible enough personally and professionally that it
would not be necessary to do this," Meredith said.